bedrooms Archives - Emily A. Clark

Our Twins’ Shared Bedroom: A New Color Palette

May92019

This post is sponsored by Behr. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Our boy/girl twins are still sharing a room (and will be for as long as possible!), but I had quickly painted it after we moved in and didn’t really ever finish the rest of it. I used the framed animal prints from our last house and my daughter insisted they scared her into getting up and coming into our room every night. . . (I personally think this has been her most creative excuse so far.) So, it felt like the perfect time to call her bluff and give their room an updated look with a new color palette.

This is how the “very scary” room looked before:

And after a new wall color (I used BEHR PREMIUM PLUS ULTRA® interior paint) and some fresh accessories:

The room doesn’t get a ton of natural light so I wanted something lighter and brighter. I love the soft quilts they already had on their beds and pulled my main wall color from those. An all-American red, white and (shades of blue) color palette felt like a good, classic choice for a boy/girl bedroom.

In case you’re up to your eyeballs in swatches. . .

A few of my best tips for choosing paint colors:

Choose your paint color last. This is such a tempting place to start for a lot of people, but it actually makes a lot of sense to choose your furniture and accessories for a room first. Then, pull out a main wall color and complementary accent colors from fabrics, rugs or art, for example. My palette for this room: Tranquil Sea PPL-73, Red My Mind MQ1-10, Basswood MQ2-46, Compass Blue MQ5-54 and Snowy Pine PPU10-13.

Take advantage of paint samples. For just a few dollars, you can pick up a sample of the color (and sheen) you’re considering. Painting a large swatch—on a board or the wall—can save a lot of time and effort.

Use the leftover samples to have your kids create art for their space. Even if it’s very “abstract”, the palette will work perfectly and it’s a sweet, personal touch.

Need more help with choosing a color? Join me for the Behr Color Clinic on Thursday, May 16th where I’ll be joining a Q&A session on the Behr Facebook Page from 10a.m. to noon EST.

Fast Favorites: Bedside Lamps

Apr232019

I’m attempting a new series called “Fast Favorites” where I’ll share (approximately) five quick links to products or ideas centered around a specific theme. I’m kicking it off with a handful of good bedside lamps.

See sources for my bedroom here.

I notice that a lot of people tend to err on the side of too small and too skinny lamps for their bedside tables so that they almost get lost in the mix. Beds themselves are big elements of a room, and lamps that have some bulk help to add the needed weight and balance. As a general rule, I like to stick to bedside lamps that are at least 26″ tall, but preferably 28-30″ and have a fuller base.

Have a specific category you’d like me to cover in an upcoming Fast Favorites post? Leave your idea in the comments.

Updating My Nightstand + Way Day Deals

Apr102019

This post is sponsored by Wayfair.

My poor nightstand was falling apart, mostly thanks to all of the extra books, art projects and papers I’d stuffed in it over the last few years. It was time to upgrade to something a little heftier and this three-drawer white chest from Wayfair fit the bill. Since we have a painted navy armoire and a dark bed already, I like to keep this corner clean and white. I think the honeycomb overlay was just the pattern the room needed.

I love the clean drawers so much I may never put anything back in them. :)

You might have noticed that I often link to Wayfair on my blog because it really is a one-stop shop for all things home. (There’s over 10 million products on the site!) I can almost always find whatever it is I happen to be on the hunt for that day.

And today just happens to be the start of their biggest sale of the year: Way Day. It starts at 12pm EST (on 4/10) and runs for 36 hours. This is the time you’ll find their best deals of the year–the lowest prices since Black Friday–and free shipping on over 100,000 home decor and furniture pieces across Wayfair and their other brands: Birch Lane, Joss & Main and All Modern. Since there are so many things included, I’ve linked to some of my personal favorite pieces below in each category. If I can help you locate something specific, let me know in the comments.

Shop all the 2019 Way Day deals here.